Reviews / Mal Bien Sierra Negra
Review · · by The Editors
Mal Bien Sierra Negra
Ramos sierra negra – americana done at the proof it deserves
Score: 4.0/5 agaves
- Producer: Mal Bien
- Maestro: Emanuel Ramos, Victor Ramos
- Region: Miahuatlán, Oaxaca
- Agave: Sierra Negra
- ABV: 46%
- Price: $70 ($$)
Verdict
Sierra negra is the americana cousin that lives slightly in arroqueño's shadow. The Ramos family makes a version that stands on its own – denser than their arroqueño, more cocoa-driven, with Miahuatlán's refrescador lift keeping it legible. Buy alongside Maguey Melate's Everardo López Diego sierra negra for a clay-pot-vs-refrescador lesson in the same agave.
Sierra negra the Ramos way – the answer to 'do I need another americana?'
Tasting notes
Nose: Dark fig, warm earth, cocoa, faint tobacco, wet stone
Palate: 46-47% through refrescador – Emanuel and Victor Ramos's sierra negra is dense and cocoa-inflected, the americana backbone carrying smoky depth without heat
Finish: Warm, earthy. Long
The bottom line
A sierra negra that earns its shelf space
Where to buy online
We found this bottle at 1 US retailer. Prices and stock vary – click through to check.